Zimbabwe government is not importing any maize and is discouraging private sector from doing so

*HON. NYABANI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.  My supplementary question to the Hon. Minister is; as you are aware, farming is a business. Those who are farming are looking for a livelihood. Since you peg prices in ZW$, does the Government have a plan to provide agricultural inputs like fertilizer and chemicals at the GMB so that farmers are able to buy from there using ZW$ because the shops where these inputs are found, the prices are pegged in USD?  I thank you.

* HON. DR. MASUKA: That is the plan of the Government to say, those who intend to buy will do that but we are already past that stage as most of the farmers will receive these inputs for free on the Presidential Inputs Scheme.

HON. DR. MASUKA: Before I was interrupted, I was saying, the agriculture and food system transformation strategy is about transforming the agricultural landscape so that Zimbabwe can be assured perennially of food security. It is also about ensuring feed security for our livestock. Cumulatively, we require US$2.2 million for human and animal consumption annually. We have also put a policy position that 40% of off takers raw material requirements must be produced through small value chain financing or contract farming. Once we put this in place, there was no need for a subsidy to be extended further to the livestock farmers and also poultry farmers. We said they are off takers and they must be involved in contract farming to secure 40% of their raw material requirements. In fact, increasingly, we are asking for proof that they have secured the 40% through their contract farming. Gone are the days where off takers think that GMB is a field. Gone are the days where someone establishes a bakery by the corner of the street and think that wheat is gotten from GMB. This is gotten from value chain. Wheat comes from farmers and Government policy is that those off takers ought to secure their raw material requirements from contract farming and 60% is what GMB is supplying. I thank you.

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